Your Right to Know

An independent candidate’s choice of words last week as he announced his exit from the race has
been the only notable moment so far in the campaign for three seats on the Columbus City
Council.

With two months left until the November general election — and one month before early voting
starts — the five remaining candidates have been knocking on doors and attending festivals but have
stayed away from debate, rhetoric and hot-button issues.

The candidates have sporadically used their Facebook pages or Twitter feeds to deliver their
ideas, and most of them haven’t updated their websites in months, if ever.

Republican challengers Brian C. Bainbridge and Greg R. Lawson have been visiting voters on the
West and North sides, where there are pockets of Republican voters.

Democratic incumbents A. Troy Miller, Eileen Y. Paley and Priscilla R. Tyson have been mostly
attending festivals and events and say they have spent a large part of their summer break from
council meetings working on legislative initiatives.

John Lively, an independent candidate, announced in an expletive-laced interview last week that
he was quitting the race because he didn’t have time to run an effective campaign. He has filed
paperwork with the Franklin County Board of Elections to have his roommate and friend, Nicholas
Schneider, take over the campaign. The elections board is to decide Schneider’s eligibility at its
meeting on Tuesday.

Republicans Lawson and Bainbridge said their voices will be heard during upcoming candidate
nights. With little money from donors or the Franklin County Republican Party, television
commercials or even radio ads remain a distant dream for them.

Bainbridge reported about $1,900 on hand on his most recent campaign-finance report, filed in
June. Lawson reported $500. Democrats Miller, Paley and Tyson had about $2,300, $4,400 and $7,400,
respectively. But unlike the Republicans, Democrats will get financial support from Mayor Michael
B. Coleman and council President Andrew J. Ginther.

County Republicans said they aren’t writing off the council race but are choosing to spend money
elsewhere.

“If you look at Columbus and think of it as a legislative district, you would look at it as a
non-competitive one,” said Brad Sinnott, chairman of the county Republican executive committee. “So
if you were looking as a caucus to invest money in a race, you wouldn’t do it in Columbus.”

Bainbridge and Lawson said the party provided significant support before the May primary and has
helped with campaign tactics, developing a message and meeting groups of voters.

Lawson and Bainbridge have tried to make the debate about adopting a ward system of
representation on the council, in which members would be elected by districts instead of at
large.

They also think the city needs to roll back the 2.5 percent income-tax rate now that Columbus
has brought in $58 million more than anticipated the past three years.

Democrats argue that the city needs to beef up its reserve; they cite financial trouble from
2004 to 2008 that nearly depleted the rainy-day fund. They all stand against a ward system, saying
the current system has helped the city develop a nationwide reputation for economic growth.

Jayme Staley, the campaign manager for the Democratic incumbents’ coordinated campaign, said the
public will see and hear from the three Democrats more as Election Day nears.

“We have plans to communicate how hard the council members have been working to the voters of
Columbus,” she said. “I think the council members that are on this election cycle have a broad
spectrum of support and don’t take anything for granted.”